Ceiling board jack



July 31, 1962 J. B. HUTCHINSON CEILING BOARD JACK 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 29, 1961 w 0 7 a M 5 B 8 Rfl, I 5 6 3 w 2 0 2 2 2 3 4 3 INVENTOR. JZlcK B. HUTcH/NSON July 31, 1962 J. B. HUTCHINSON 3,047,165

CEILING BOARD JACK Filed May 29, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. JZCK B. HUTcH/NSON 35,- BYM 'W,

Filed May 29, 1961, Ser. No. 113,210 4 Claims. (Cl. 214-1) This invention relates to a novel ceiling board jack to assist in the placement of panels on the ceiling of a structure.

The present practice in the building industry is to utilize large wall panels for both ceiling and wall construction. Such panels are normally fabricated of laminations including plaster, or plywood laminations, as may be desired. The normal size for such a panel is four by eight feet, which is quite difiicult for one person to manage without assistance. According to the present invention a jack is supplied by which a single person may both raise such a panel to the desired ceiling position and maintain it in that position while it is being secured to the supporting structure.

It is a first object of the present invention to provide such a jack structure which can be readily folded to a convenient size for storage and transportation. The invention contemplates a structure which may be folded to half the normal dimension of the boards being utilized in the building construction. Thus where boards four by eight feet are being handled, the jack constructed according to the present invention would fold to a size of not more than four by four feet.

It is another object of the present invention to provide such a jack which may be handled entirely by a single person and which will provide suitable stability for the positioning of the board as it is being secured to the supporting structure. The necessary stability is normally accomplished by a wedging action between the jack, the floor and the existing ceiling structure. In other cases the necessary stability is provided by an over center arrangement by which one of the supporting legs of the jack" structure provides a stable construction under most conditions.

Another object of this invention is to provide a jack structure which is readily adjustable to meet the various ceiling heights which might be encountered in its use. This structure is strengthened by the fact that the adjustable portions of the legs are provided at their lower ends rather than in their intermediate sections.

These and further objects will be evident from a study of the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate one preferred form of the invention. It is to be understood that this preferred form is not intended to limit the invention except as the concepts embodied therein are defined in the claims which follow.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is an elevational side view of the jack in use with the jack fully extended and the board ready for application on a ceiling;

FIGURE 2 is a top view of the jack structure folded for transportation and storage;

FIGURE 3 is a side view of the folded jack as seen in FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged sectional View of the lower section of one leg :as seen along line 44 in FIGURE 2;

ice

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged side view of another leg as seen along line 55 in FIGURE 1; 1

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 6-6 in FIGURE 5; I

FIGURE 7 is another elevational side view of the jack structure as it is situated on a floor for'reception of a board;

FIGURE 8 is an elevational side view of the jack structure in a partially erected position; and

FIGURE 9 is an end view taken from the righthand end of FIGURE 1.

Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference characters denote corresponding parts of the structure, The ceiling board jack consists primarily of a folding rectangular frame, including two U-shaped sections it and 11. The first section 10' includes bent sides 13 which are shaped to a desired U-shape configuration. v These sides 13 are preferably formed of angle stock and include integral supporting surfaces 14 which extend perpendicularly from their upper edges. The'supporting surface 14 lies in a common plane and is used to carry the ceiling board which is to be applied. The second U-shapcd section 11 also includes bent sides 15 and a perpendicular plane supporting surface 16. formed with outside dimensions which are less than the inside dimensions of the bent sides 15 in section 11. Thus the section 10 nests within the confines of the larger section 11. As can be seen in the drawings, the outer width of section It) is substantially the same as the inner width of the sides 15 in section 11. The two sections 10 and 11 face one another to form the necessary rectangular support element. The open ends of the sections 10 and 11 are pivotally connected by connections 17. The pivot connections 17 mount the sections 14 and 11 relative to one another for rotation about an axis common to each section 10 and 11.

In order that the surfaces 14 and 16 may abut one another when extended to a common plane as seen in FIGURE 1, the open end of the supporting surface 11 is recessed at 18. The amount of recess required must be determined by the positioning of the pivot connections 17. In any case the distance between the axis of the pivot connections 17 and the two supporting surfaces 14 and 16 must be equal so that these surfaces may abut one another as illustrated. The frame structure is completed by an upstanding rib 19, formed at the closed end of the supporting surface on the U-shaped section 10. This rib. i 19 is designed to abut the adjacent end of the board being positioned by the jack. The height of rib 19' above the supporting surface 14 is preferably greater than the thickness of the board which is shown at 32. Thus the rib 19 may abut the existing ceiling structure or supports without crushing or damagingthe board 32.

The frame is supported by three legs. Mounted on the closed end of the U-shaped section 11 are two legs 20 which are positioned respectively at each outer side of the sides 15. The two legs 20 are identical in structure and are pivotally connected at 21 to the exterior of the section 11. The legs 20 are rigidly connected to one another by suitable braces 22. It is to be recognized from the drawings that the braces 22 are preferably positioned on the sides of leg 21} opposite to the supporting surface 16. In other words, as the legs 20- are swung about the section 11 to their folded position shown in The first section It Qis FIGURE 2, the brace elements of 22 should rest on the supporting surface 16 when the legs 29 have attained the position adjacent the sides 15. This allows for a compact storage arrangement of the entire jack structure.

Since the present device is to be utilized in many building applications it is necessary that height adjustment be provided in the legs 26. This need not be a precise adjustment, since this end of the jack structure is the pivoted end in actual use. In order to provide rough adjustment of the height of legs 20, the apparatus shown in detail in FIGURE 4 is utilized. A telescoping hollow section 23 fits within the leg at each side of section 11. The lower ends of the sections 23 are capped by suitable feet made of rubber or other friction material. The telescoping sections 23 are positioned by pins which extend through apertures cut through legs 20 and sections 23. The pins 25 are normally biased inwardly by a spring 26, braced against a bracket structure At the closed end of the U-shaped section It) is provided a single leg 27 which is mounted centrally intermediate the sides of this frame section. The leg 27 is pivotally mounted by a suitable mounting bracket 28. The pivotal axis of the leg 27 lies intermediate the adjacent side 13 and supporting surface 14. Thus when the leg 27 is folded to the position as shown in FIGURES 2 and 3, wherein it is parallel to the section 10, the entire leg 27 will lie within the confines of section It The lower end of the single leg 27 is provided with a solid telescoping section 29 which is slidably received therein. The lowermost end of the section 29 is also capped by a suitable friction foot 31 The leg 27 is clamped about the telescoping section 2? by a locking clamp screw 31. Thus the section 29 may be adjusted within leg 27 to accurately determine the length of this leg.

The present invention contemplates a ceiling board jack which can be easily folded to a convenient size for storage and transportation. The two U-shaped sections 10 and 11 pivot above the central axi formed by the sections 17. The two legs 20 pivot about a parallel axis formed by the pivot connections 21. The single leg 27 pivots about a third parallel axis on the mounting bracket 28. To fold the apparatus the single leg 27 is first pivoted to a position within the confines of section 10 and therefore parallel to the sides of this U-shaped section 10. The two legs 20 are folded over the section 11 to the position straddling the U-shaped section 11 wherein the leg braces 22 rest on the supporting surface 16. At this time the two U-shaped sections 10 and 11 are folded relative to one another so that the section 10 nests within the section 11. This final position is illustrated in FIGURES 2 and 3 and consumes approximately half the area of the extended rectangular frame formed by sections 10 and 11. Since the normal width of the board to be applied by this jack will be four by eight feet, the normal folded area of the jack will be approximately four by four feet, Thus the folded structure can easily be carried in and out of existing doorways and can be readily managed by a single person.

The operation of the jack is very simple. A single person may completely place and secure ceiling boards by utilizing the jack in the proper manner. The jack must first be set up in a position illustrated in FTGURE 7. In this position the two U-shaped sections 10 and 11 are extended in aligned positions with the surfaces 14 and 16 abutting one another so as to prevent collapse of the sections 10 and 11. The two legs 20 are posi tioned in a vertical plane and the telescoping sections 23 are initially set so as to bring the top corner of the U- shaped section 11 to a position adjacent the ceiling surface 34. This surface 34 may be a flat surface as in the case of an existing building which is being remodeled, or may be a series of cross beams as would be encountered in a new building. The single leg 27 is initially lying flat along the fioor 35. The board 32 is then placed on the inclined surfaces 14- and 16 with the lower edge of the board 32 resting against the rib 19. The person using the jack then lifts the lower end of the section 10 and by pulling on the leg 27 can bring the structure to the intermediate position shown in FIGURE 8. The length of leg 27 should be adjusted so that the rib 19 can be brought into abutment with the ceiling structure 34. The final position of the jack is that shown in FIGURE 1, wherein the rib 19 is in contact with ceiling 34 and, the leg 27 has been utilized to wedge the rib upwardly with sufiicient force to provide stability to the jack structure, When this position has been attained the jack will stand of itself and will maintain the board 32 adjacent the ceiling 34. One may then push upwardly on the board 32 to finally position it against the ceiling structure 34 and secure it thereto by any conventional means. After the board has been mounted on the ceiling 34 the leg 27 may be folded back and the preceding steps repeated for each board to be applied.

Thus there has been described a very simple and effective jack structure for placing large panel boards on a ceiling. The structure itself is compact when folded for storage and provides a large supporting surface for the relatively weak panel units commonly utilized in ceiling surfaces. The jack folds to a compact unit and can be entirely managed by one person.

Various mechanical changes are possible in the apparatus just described without deviating from the basic concepts included therein. For this reason the invention itself is to be defined only by the following claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a ceiling board jack, the combination comprising:

a first rigid U-shaped section formed of angle stock including bent side portions and an integral supporting surface extending perpendicularly inward along one edge thereof;

a second rigid U-shaped section formed of angle stock including bent side portions and an integral supporting surface extending perpendicularly inward along one edge thereof, the outside dimensions of the bent side portions of said second section being less than the inside dimensions of the bent side portions of said first section;

a pivotal connection joining the side portions of said first and second sections adjacent their open ends, each section being pivotally mounted thereby for rotational movement relative to one another about an axis perpendicular to the pivoted side portions, the perpendicular distances between said axis and the supporting surfaces of each section being identical to one another, the supporting surface of one surface being recessed at its open end to thereby enable the ends of the supporting surfaces to abut one another when aligned in a common plane;

raised abutment means fixed to and extending outwardly from the supporting surface of a first one of said sections adjacent the closed end thereof;

a pair of legs pivotally connected at one end to the remaining one of said sections adjacent the outer surfaces of the side portions thereof at its closed end for rotation about an axis parallel to the pivotal axis of said sections;

brace means rigidly connected to each of said legs;

and a single leg having one end pivotally mounted on the first one of said sections at the closed end thereof for rotation about an axis parallel to the pivotal axis of said sections.

2. The jack as defined in claim 1 wherein said pair of legs and said single leg each comprises a pair of telescoping members;

and means operatively connected between the telescoping members of each leg adapted to selectively adjust the total longitudinal length thereof.

3. The jack as defined in claim 1 wherein said pair of legs straddle the outside surfaces of the side portions of said first one of said sections, said brace means being positioned on the sides of said pair of legs opposite to the supporting surface of said first one of said sections so as to rest thereon when said pair of legs is positioned parallel to and adjacent the side portions thereof.

4. The jack as defined in claim 1 wherein said single leg is centrally positioned intermediate the U-shaped end of said remaining one of said sections, the pivotal connection of said single leg and said remaining one'of said sections lying intermediate the inner surfaces of the adjacent Side portion and supporting surface.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 159,813 Garvey Feb. 16, 1875 2,542,394 Cohen et a1 Feb. 20, 1951 2,741,514 Fisher Apr. 10, 1956 2,931,551 Zalkind Apr. 5, 1960 2,950,552 Stephany Aug. 30, 1960 2,980,419 Bass Apr. 18, 1961 

